Vehicle detection

ABSTRACT

In some examples, vehicle detection includes detecting a target vehicle that has at least one designated attribute, confirming that the detected target vehicle is within an unobstructed or partially obstructed line of sight of the first object, and confirming that the target vehicle has been detected within the unobstructed or partially obstructed line of sight of the first object.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

The present application is a continuation application under 35 U.S.C. §120 of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/278,802, filed on May 15,2014, the entirety of which is hereby incorporated by reference.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The embodiments described herein pertain generally but not exclusivelyto vehicle detection schemes that may be utilized in various contextsincluding, but not limited to, social networking, gaming, advertising,law enforcement, and even assisted driving.

BACKGROUND

Unless otherwise indicated herein, the approaches described in thissection are not prior art to the claims in this application and are notadmitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.

The automobile is becoming a hub of social interaction due, in largepart, to advancements in technology and advancements in creativity.Built-in and hand-held consoles, e.g., smart phones, provide vehiclepassengers and even vehicle drivers with instant access to mediacontent.

SUMMARY

In one example embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable mediumthat stores executable instructions, in response to execution by one ormore processors, may cause the one or more processors to perform orcontrol operations including searching for at least one target object,detecting at least one target object in an unobstructed line of sight,and confirming that the at least one target object was detected in anunobstructed line of sight.

In another example embodiment, a method to implement vehicle detectionincludes detecting a target vehicle that has at least one designatedattribute, confirming that the detected target vehicle is within anunobstructed or partially obstructed line of sight of the first object,and confirming that the target vehicle has been detected within theunobstructed or partially obstructed line of sight of the first object.

In yet another example embodiment, a vehicle detection system includes adetector that is configured to search for at least one vehicle thatmatches a particular criterion and indicate when the at least onevehicle that matches the particular criterion has been detected in anunobstructed line of sight in relation to a host of the vehicledetection system. The system also includes a confirmation moduleconfigured to confirm that the at least one vehicle that matches theparticular criterion has been detected in an obstructed line of sight inrelation to the host of the vehicle detection system.

The foregoing summary is illustrative only and is not intended to be inany way limiting. In addition to the illustrative aspects, embodiments,and features described above, further aspects, embodiments, and featureswill become apparent by reference to the drawings and the followingdetailed description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In the detailed description that follows, embodiments are described asillustrations only since various changes and modifications are possiblefrom the following detailed description. The use of the same referencenumbers in different figures indicates similar or identical items.

FIG. 1 shows an example configuration of an environment in which vehicledetection may be implemented in accordance with at least someembodiments described herein;

FIG. 2 shows an example configuration of a device, arranged inaccordance with at least some embodiments described herein, by whichvehicle detection may be implemented;

FIG. 3 shows an example process flow by which at least some variationsof vehicle detection may be implemented, arranged in accordance with atleast some embodiments described herein; and

FIG. 4 shows a block diagram illustrating an example computing device bywhich various example solutions described herein may be implemented,arranged in accordance with at least some embodiments described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In the following detailed description, reference is made to theaccompanying drawings, which form a part of the description. In thedrawings, similar symbols typically identify similar components, unlesscontext dictates otherwise. Furthermore, unless otherwise noted, thedescription of each successive drawing may reference features from oneor more of the previous drawings to provide clearer context and a moresubstantive explanation of the current example embodiment. Still, theexample embodiments described in the detailed description, drawings, andclaims are not meant to be limiting. Other embodiments may be utilized,and other changes may be made, without departing from the spirit orscope of the subject matter presented herein. The aspects of the presentdisclosure, as generally described herein and illustrated in thedrawings, may be arranged, substituted, combined, separated, anddesigned in a wide variety of different configurations, all of which areexplicitly contemplated herein.

This disclosure is generally drawn, inter alia, to methods, apparatus,systems, devices, and computer program products related to vehicledetection schemes that may be utilized in various contexts including,but not limited to, social networking, gaming, advertising, lawenforcement, and even assisted driving.

Briefly stated, in some examples, vehicle detection includes detecting atarget vehicle that has at least one designated attribute, confirmingthat the detected target vehicle is within an unobstructed or partiallyobstructed line of sight of the first object, and confirming that thetarget vehicle has been detected within the unobstructed or partiallyobstructed line of sight of the first object.

FIG. 1 shows an example configuration of an environment in which vehicledetection may be implemented in accordance with at least someembodiments described herein. FIG. 1 shows spotter vehicle A 105, targetvehicle B 110, target vehicle C 115, obstruction vehicle D 120, andservice provider 125. One or more of spotter vehicle A 105, targetvehicle B 110, target vehicle C 115, and obstruction vehicle D 120 maybe communicatively coupled to a server of service provider 125.

Spotter vehicle A 105 may refer to a vehicle from which verifieddetection of a target object through an unobstructed line of sight issought. In the example embodiments described herein, spotter vehicle A105 may include an automobile, e.g., car, truck, van, etc., or any othermotorized transporter, e.g., motorcycle, scooter, trailer, etc.

In some example embodiments, spotter vehicle A 105 may host a detectordevice that may be configured, designed, or programmed to search for anddetect target objects. Non-limiting examples of the detector device mayinclude a camera that captures still and/or video images; radardetectors; sonar devices; motion detecting lasers; other types ofsurveillance systems associated with the spotter vehicle and configuredto have 360° detection capabilities, etc.

Spotter vehicle A 105 may further host a client device that isconfigured, designed, and/or programmed to interface with the detectordevice, determine whether detection of a target object is in compliancewith one or more conditions, and serve as a communications interface.The client device may be provided as a device that is built-in tospotter vehicle A 105 or may be provided as a separate, hand-held clientdevice that is at least controlled by an occupant, e.g., driver and/orpassenger, of spotter vehicle A 105. The client device may also be aportable device that is mountable or otherwise attachable to spottervehicle A 105. The client device, whether built-in or hand-held orportably mounted, may be provided in the form of, e.g., a smart-phone,tablet computer, laptop computer, electronic appliance, etc., that isconfigured to execute an instance of a vehicle detection application.Regardless of the physical configuration of the client device, theclient device may be configured to communicate with service provider 125and an occupant and/or client device corresponding to either of targetvehicle B 110 and target vehicle C 115.

Alternative spotter 107, in addition to or as an alternative to spottervehicle A 105, may refer to a stationary kiosk-like station from whichdetection of a target object through an unobstructed line of sight maybe sought. Similar to spotter vehicle A 105, alternative spotter 107 mayhost a detector device that may be configured, designed, or programmedto search for and detect target objects. Non-limiting examples of thedetector device may include a camera that captures still and/or videoimages, radar detectors, sonar devices, motion detecting lasers, etc.Alternative spotter 107 may also host a client device that isconfigured, designed, and/or programmed to interface with the detectordevice, determine whether detection of a target object is in compliancewith one or more conditions, and serve as a communications interface.

Target vehicle B 110 and target vehicle C 115 may refer to respectivevehicles that may be subjected to a search by an owner, operator, and/oroccupant of spotter vehicle A 105. Target vehicle B 110 and targetvehicle C 115 may or may not be configured in the same manner as spottervehicle A 105. That is, target vehicle B 110 and target vehicle C 115may or may not be provided with a detector device or a client device asis spotter vehicle A 105, as described above. However, target vehicle B110 and target vehicle C 115 may be provided with a communicationdevice, e.g., a smart-phone, tablet computer, laptop computer, etc., bywhich detection by spotter vehicle A 105 may be confirmed to spottervehicle A 105 and/or service provider 125.

Line of sight 113 may refer to a line of sight by which target vehicle B110 may be searched for and/or detected by a detector provided tospotter vehicle A 105. As depicted in FIG. 1, and in accordance withsome example embodiments, line of sight 113 from spotter vehicle A 105to target vehicle B 110 may be obstructed by obstruction vehicle D 120.

Line of sight 117 may refer to a line of sight by which target vehicle C115 may be searched for and/or detected by a detector provided tospotter vehicle A 105. As depicted in FIG. 1, and in accordance withsome example embodiments, line of sight 117 from spotter vehicle A 105to target vehicle C 115 may be unobstructed.

As referenced herein, an obstruction may refer to any object that may atleast partially obscure a view of the target object from the vantagepoint of spotter vehicle A 105 or, alternatively or additionally,alternative spotter 107. In some example embodiments, an object may bedeemed an obstruction if the object prevents a completely clear view orpresents even a nominal obstruction to the transmittal of communicationsignals from spotter vehicle A 105, or alternative spotter 107, to adetected target object. Non-limiting examples of such obstructions mayinclude other vehicles, billboards, buildings, people, trees,topological features, e.g., hills, curves, etc. Other examples ofobstructions may include weather elements, e.g., fog, heavy rain,smoke/smog, snow, etc. Some embodiments of vehicle detection may allowfor partial obstructions to exist in the line of sight between spottervehicle A 105 and a detected target object. The magnitude of suchallowable obstruction, in such instances, may vary from one embodimentto another.

Service provider 125 may refer to a service provider to which a clientdevice corresponding to at least spotter vehicle 105 and/or alternativespotter 107 may be registered. Non-limiting examples of service provider125 may include: internet service providers (ISPs) that host mappingapplications, e.g., Microsoft®, Google®, Yahoo®; telecommunicationsservice providers that provide wireless communications services, e.g.,Verizon®, T-Mobile®, AT&T®; smartphone manufacturers through whichapplications may be disseminated to users, e.g., Apple®, Samsung®,Blackberry®; GPS device manufacturers, e.g., Garmin®, Magellan®,TomTom®; law-enforcement or municipal entities; or third-party entitiesthat may provide driver assistance or navigational services to a driveror vehicle operator, e.g., vehicle manufacturers, OnStar®, etc.

Service provider 125 may serve as a communications platform throughwhich instructions for vehicle detection may be transmitted to spottervehicle A 105 and/or alternative spotter 107. Further, service provider125 may serve as a communication platform through which a payoff of aconfirmed detection of target vehicle B 110 and/or target vehicle C 115may be facilitated.

As referenced herein, payoff may refer to an acknowledgement, reward, orfurther communication directed to at least one of spotter vehicle A 105and a detected one of target vehicle B 110 and target vehicle C 115.Non-limiting examples of a payoff may include a direct acknowledgement,social media acknowledgement, service provider reward points,advertisements, law enforcement communication, driving assistance, etc.

FIG. 2 shows an example configuration of a device 200, arranged inaccordance with at least some embodiments described herein, by whichvehicle detection may be implemented. Device 200 may be embodied by aconsole that is built-in to a vehicle or a client device that is held bya driver or passenger in a vehicle or as a mounted and removable(portable) electronic device. In the example embodiments describedherein, device 200 may be provided to, at least, spotter vehicle A 105and/or alternative spotter 107. As depicted, device 200 may include, atleast, detector interface 205, detection arbiter 210, and communicationinterface 215 operatively coupled to each other. Detector interface 205,detection arbiter 210, and communication interface 215 may,respectively, be implemented as a hardware device, as software, asfirmware, or any combination thereof.

Detector interface 205 may refer to a component or module that isconfigured, designed, and/or programmed to provide instructions to adetector device that may be configured, designed, or programmed tosearch for and detect target objects.

The instructions to search for one or more target objects, e.g.,vehicles, may include a description or attribute of the one or moretarget objects. The instructions may include, for example, at least oneattribute of a target vehicle, including a particular make, model,and/or color. Such target vehicles may be more easily searched forand/or detected when the detector device is embodied by a camera thatcaptures still and/or video images. As another example, the instructionsmay include another attribute of a target vehicle that includes anyvehicle within a predetermined distance of spotter vehicle A 105 oralternative spotter 107. Such target vehicles may be more easilysearched for and/or detected when the detector device is embodied by asonar device. As yet another example, the instructions may includeanother attribute of a target vehicle that includes any vehicle that istravelling at or beyond a threshold rate of speed within a predetermineddistance of spotter vehicle A 105 or alternative spotter 107. Suchtarget vehicles may be more easily searched for and/or detected when thedetector device is embodied by a radar device.

Regardless of the physical configuration of the detector device,detector interface 205 may be further configured, designed, and/orprogrammed to receive a notification from the detector device that atarget object has been detected. Accordingly, detector interface 205 mayreceive digital images, sonar readings, radar readings, laser motiondetection readings, etc., from the detector device provided to spottervehicle A 105 or alternative spotter 107.

Detection arbiter 210 may refer to a component or module that isconfigured, designed, and/or programmed to determine whether thereexists an unobstructed line of sight between spotter vehicle A 105 andthe target object, detected by the detector device. Some embodiments ofvehicle detection may allow for partial obstructions to exist in theline of sight between spotter vehicle A 105 and a detected targetobject. The magnitude of such allowable obstruction, in such instances,may be a variable quantity. Detection arbiter 210 may, therefore, beconfigured, designed, and/or programmed to quantify a magnitude of suchan obstruction and make the determination whether such obstruction ispermissible in the context of the respective example embodiment.

As described above, the detector device may detect one or more targetobjects and transmit, to detector interface 205, digital images, sonarreadings, radar readings, laser motion detection readings, etc.Detection arbiter 210 may therefore be configured, designed, and/orprogrammed to visually or digitally detect obstructions between spottervehicle A 105 and the target object. For example, in the environment 100depicted in FIG. 1, detection arbiter 210 may visually or digitallydetect obstruction vehicle D 120 between spotter vehicle A 105 andtarget vehicle B 110 in line of sight 113; in addition, oralternatively, detection arbiter 210 may visually or digitally detectthat line of sight 117 is unobstructed between spotter vehicle A 105 andtarget vehicle C 115.

Communication interface 215 may refer to a component or module that isconfigured, designed, and/or programmed to receive, from a user orservice provider 125, instructions to search for and detect targetobjects. The instructions to search for one or more target objects,e.g., vehicles, may include a description or attribute of the one ormore target objects. The received instructions may be input to device200 by the user via a user interface (UI) or may be received fromservice provider 125. The received instructions may include at least oneattribute of a target vehicle, including a particular make, model,and/or color. In addition, or in the alternative, the instructions mayinclude another attribute of a target vehicle that includes any vehiclewithin a predetermined distance of spotter vehicle A 105 or alternativespotter 107. In addition, or in the alternative, the instructions mayinclude another attribute of a target vehicle that includes any vehiclethat is travelling at or beyond a threshold rate of speed within apredetermined distance of spotter vehicle A 105 or alternative spotter107. The foregoing examples of the received instructions are just someexamples of various implementations that are possible.

Communication interface 215 may be further configured, designed, and/orprogrammed to communicate with a detected target object. For example,when a target object has been detected, communication interface 215 maytransmit a message to the detected target object confirming thedetection. In addition, or in the alternative, when a target object hasbeen detected, communication interface 215 may receive a confirmationmessage from the detected target object that has been detected. Suchmessage may be received from the detected target object with or withoutprompting from communication interface 215.

As described above, communication interface 215 may be configured,designed, and/or programmed to facilitate communications with serviceprovider 125. Thus, when a target object has been detected,communication interface 215 may transmit a message to service provider125 to report the detection of the target object. Accordingly,communication interface 215 may further facilitate the payoff of theconfirmed detection. As described above, the payoff may refer to anacknowledgement, reward, or further communication directed to at leastone of spotter vehicle A 105 and a detected target object.

Communication interface 215 may, therefore, be configured to facilitatecommunications using one or more of various communication protocolsincluding, but not limited to, GSM (Global System for Mobilecommunications), IMT (International Mobile Telecommunication)-2000, CDMA(Code Division Multiple Access)-2000, W-CDMA (W-Code Division MultipleAccess), Wibro (Wireless Broadband Internet), etc.

FIG. 3 shows an example process flow by which at least some variationsof vehicle detection may be implemented, arranged in accordance with atleast some embodiments described herein. Processing flow 300 may includeone or more operations, actions, or functions depicted by one or moreblocks 305, 310, 315, 320, and 325. Although illustrated as discreteblocks, various blocks may be divided into additional blocks, combinedinto fewer blocks, supplemented with further blocks, or eliminated,depending on the particular implementation. As a non-limiting example,the description of processing flow 300 may be described in the contextof environment 100 described with regard to FIG. 1 and to device 200described with regard to FIG. 2. Processing may begin at block 305.

Block 305 (Receive Target Object Criterion) may refer to communicationinterface 215 receiving, from a user or service provider 125,instructions to search for and detect target objects, based on one ormore criterion. The instructions to search for one or more targetobjects, e.g., vehicles, may include a description or attribute of theone or more target objects. The received instructions may include atleast one attribute of a target object, including a particular make,model, and/or color of a target vehicle, for example. Further, oralternatively, the instructions may include another attribute of atarget object that includes any vehicle within a predetermined distanceof spotter vehicle A 105 or alternative spotter 107. Further still, oralternatively, the instructions may include another attribute of atarget object that includes any vehicle that is travelling at or beyonda threshold rate of speed within a predetermined distance of spottervehicle A 105 or alternative spotter 107; and/or a general direction ofthe target object, which may be submitted or provided by a user verballyor as a manual user input. Again, the foregoing examples of the receivedinstructions and criteria are not to be construed as being inclusive.Block 305 may be followed by block 310.

Block 310 (Search for Target object) may refer to the detector devicesearching for a target object, in accordance with the instructions andcriteria received at block 305. As described earlier, non-limitingexamples of the detector device may include a camera that captures stilland/or video images, radar detectors, sonar devices, motion detectinglasers, etc. Thus, if the received instructions and criteria include aparticular make, model, and/or color of a target vehicle, the search maybe more appropriate for the detector device being embodied by a camerathat captures still and/or video images. In addition or in thealternative, if the received instructions and criteria specify anyvehicle within a predetermined distance of spotter vehicle A 105 oralternative spotter 107, the search may be more appropriate for thedetector device being embodied by a sonar device. Also in addition or inthe alternative, if the received instructions and criteria specify anyvehicle that is travelling at or beyond a threshold rate of speed withina predetermined distance of spotter vehicle A 105 or alternative spotter107, the search may be more appropriate for the detector device beingembodied by a radar device. The foregoing examples of the instructionsand criteria, relative to an embodiment of the detector device, are notto be construed as being inclusive. Block 310 may be followed by block315.

Block 315 (Detect Target object) may refer to detection arbiter 210and/or communication interface 215 communicatively receiving anindication, from the detector device, that a target object has likelybeen detected, in accordance with the received instructions andcriteria. Based on the physical embodiment of the detection device, thereceived indication that the target object has likely been detected mayinclude a still image, a video file, a sonar reading, a radar reading, alaser motion detection reading, etc. Block 315 may be followed bydecision block 320.

Decision block 320 (Confirm Unobstructed Detection) may refer todetection arbiter 210 determining whether or not there exists anunobstructed line of sight between spotter vehicle A 105 and thedetected target object. Detection arbiter 210 may visually or digitallydetect obstructions between spotter vehicle A 105 and the target object,detected by the detector device. For example, in the environment 100depicted in FIG. 1, detection arbiter 210 may visually or digitallydetect obstruction vehicle D 120 between spotter vehicle A 105 andtarget vehicle B 110 in line of sight 113; in addition, oralternatively, detection arbiter 210 may visually or digitally detectthat line of sight 117 is unobstructed between spotter vehicle A 105 andtarget vehicle C 115.

As described above, some embodiments of vehicle detection may allow forpartial obstructions to exist in the line of sight between spottervehicle A 105 and a detected target object. The magnitude of suchallowable obstructions, in such instances, may be a variable quantity.For example, an allowable amount of obstruction may lie in the range of0% obstruction, meaning the line of sight to the target object is clear,to approximately 35%, meaning the target object is substantiallyvisible. Thus, decision block 320 may further or alternatively refer todetection arbiter 210 determining whether a detected obstruction ispermissible in the context of the respective example embodiment.

Decision block 320, in addition or in the alternative, may refer tocommunication interface 215 transmitting a message to the detectedtarget object to confirm the detection. In addition, or in thealternative, when a target object has been detected, communicationinterface 215 may receive a confirmation message from the detectedtarget object that has been detected.

A positive determination, e.g., yes, at decision block 320 may befollowed by block 325; a negative determination, e.g., no, at decisionblock 320 may be followed by a reversion to block 310.

Block 325 (Payoff) may refer to communication interface 215 transmittinga message to service provider 125 to report the detection of the targetobject. Upon receiving such report, communication interface 215 mayfurther facilitate the payoff of the confirmed detection. As describedabove, the payoff may refer to an acknowledgement, reward, or furthercommunication directed to at least one of spotter vehicle A 105 and adetected target object. For example, payoff may refer to anacknowledgement, reward, or further communication directed to at leastone of spotter vehicle A 105 and a detected one of target vehicle B 110and target vehicle C 115. Non-limiting examples of a payoff may includesocial media acknowledgement, service provider reward points,advertisements, law enforcement communication, driving assistance, etc.

Accordingly, processing flow 300 may facilitate vehicle detection forvarious contexts including, but not limited to, social networking,gaming, advertising, law enforcement, and even assisted driving as wellas others.

FIG. 4 shows a block diagram illustrating an example computing device bywhich various example solutions described herein may be implemented,arranged in accordance with at least some embodiments described herein.A computing device 400 of FIG. 4 may be used to implement vehicledetection, and may be embodied by a console that is built-in to avehicle or a client device that is held by a driver or passenger in avehicle or as a mounted and removable (portable) electronic device.

In a very basic configuration 402, computing device 400 typicallyincludes one or more processors 404 and a system memory 406. A memorybus 408 may be used for communicating between processor 404 and systemmemory 406.

Depending on the desired configuration, processor 404 may be of any typeincluding but not limited to a microprocessor (μP), a microcontroller(μC), a digital signal processor (DSP), or any combination thereof.Processor 404 may include one or more levels of caching, such as a levelone cache 410 and a level two cache 412, a processor core 414, andregisters 416. An example processor core 414 may include an arithmeticlogic unit (ALU), a floating point unit (FPU), a digital signalprocessing core (DSP core), or any combination thereof. An examplememory controller 418 may also be used with processor 404, or in someimplementations memory controller 418 may be an internal part ofprocessor 404.

Depending on the desired configuration, system memory 406 may be of anytype including but not limited to volatile memory (such as RAM),non-volatile memory (such as ROM, flash memory, etc.) or any combinationthereof. System memory 406 may include an operating system 420, one ormore applications 422, and program data 424. Application 422 may includedetection data 426 that may be used to perform the functions andoperations for detection vehicles and determining whether an existingobstruction is acceptable, as described herein including those describedwith respect to process flow 300 of FIG. 3. Program data 424 may includegeographical data 428 that may be utilized for the vehicle detectionperformed by the application 422 as described herein. Geographical data428 may include topographical data and meteorological data. In someembodiments, application 422 may be arranged to operate with programdata 424 on operating system 420 such that refined precise vehicledetection may be provided, as described herein. This described basicconfiguration 402 is illustrated in FIG. 4 by those components withinthe inner dashed line.

Computing device 400 may have additional features or functionality, andadditional interfaces to facilitate communications between basicconfiguration 402 and any required devices and interfaces. For example,a bus/interface controller 430 may be used to facilitate communicationsbetween basic configuration 402 and one or more data storage devices 432via a storage interface bus 434. Data storage devices 432 may beremovable storage devices 436, non-removable storage devices 438, or acombination thereof. Examples of removable storage and non-removablestorage devices include magnetic disk devices such as flexible diskdrives and hard-disk drives (HDDs), optical disk drives such as compactdisk (CD) drives or digital versatile disk (DVD) drives, solid statedrives (SSDs), and tape drives to name a few. Example computer storagemedia may include volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removablemedia implemented in any method or technology for storage ofinformation, such as computer readable instructions, data structures,program modules, or other data.

System memory 406, removable storage devices 436 and non-removablestorage devices 438 are examples of computer storage media. Computerstorage media includes, but is not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flashmemory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, digital versatile disks(DVDs) or other optical storage, magnetic cassettes, magnetic tape,magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or any othermedium which may be used to store the desired information and which maybe accessed by computing device 400. Any such computer storage media maybe part of computing device 400.

Computing device 400 may also include an interface bus 440 forfacilitating communication from various interface devices (e.g., outputdevices 442, peripheral interfaces 444, and communication devices 446)to basic configuration 402 via bus/interface controller 430. Exampleoutput devices 442 include a graphics processing unit 448 and an audioprocessing unit 450, which may be configured to communicate to variousexternal devices such as a display or speakers via one or more A/V ports452. Example peripheral interfaces 544 include a serial interfacecontroller 454 or a parallel interface controller 456, which may beconfigured to communicate with external devices such as input devices(e.g., keyboard, mouse, pen, voice input device, touch input device,etc.) or other peripheral devices (e.g., printer, scanner, etc.) via oneor more I/O ports 458. An example communication device 446 includes anetwork controller 460, which may be arranged to facilitatecommunications with one or more other computing devices 462 over anetwork communication link via one or more communication ports 464.

The network communication link may be one example of a communicationmedia. Communication media may typically be embodied by computerreadable instructions, data structures, program modules, or other datain a modulated data signal, such as a carrier wave or other transportmechanism, and may include any information delivery media. A modulateddata signal may be a signal that has one or more of its characteristicsset or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal.By way of example, and not limitation, communication media may includewired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, andwireless media such as acoustic, radio frequency (RF), microwave,infrared (IR) and other wireless media. The term computer readable mediaas used herein may include both storage media and communication media.

Computing device 400 may be implemented as a portion of a small-formfactor portable (or mobile) electronic device such as a cell phone, apersonal data assistant (PDA), a personal media player device, awireless web-watch device, a personal headset device, an applicationspecific device, or a hybrid device that include any of the abovefunctions. Computing device 400 may also be implemented as a server or apersonal computer including both laptop computer and non-laptop computerconfigurations.

The use of hardware or software is generally (but not always, in that incertain contexts the choice between hardware and software can becomesignificant) a design choice representing cost vs. efficiency tradeoffs.There are various vehicles by which processes and/or systems and/orother technologies described herein may be implemented, e.g., hardware,software, and/or firmware, and that the preferred vehicle may vary withthe context in which the processes and/or systems and/or othertechnologies are deployed. For example, if an implementer determinesthat speed and accuracy are paramount, the implementer may opt for amainly hardware and/or firmware vehicle; if flexibility is paramount,the implementer may opt for a mainly software implementation; or, yetagain alternatively, the implementer may opt for some combination ofhardware, software, and/or firmware.

The foregoing detailed description has set forth various embodiments ofthe devices and/or processes for system configuration 100 via the use ofblock diagrams, flowcharts, and/or examples. Insofar as such blockdiagrams, flowcharts, and/or examples contain one or more functionsand/or operations, each function and/or operation within such blockdiagrams, flowcharts, or examples can be implemented, individuallyand/or collectively, by a wide range of hardware, software, firmware, orvirtually any combination thereof. In one embodiment, several portionsof the subject matter described herein may be implemented viaApplication Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field ProgrammableGate Arrays (FPGAs), digital signal processors (DSPs), or otherintegrated formats. However, some aspects of the embodiments disclosedherein, in whole or in part, can be equivalently implemented inintegrated circuits, as one or more computer programs running on one ormore computers, e.g., as one or more programs running on one or morecomputer systems, as one or more programs running on one or moreprocessors, e.g., as one or more programs running on one or moremicroprocessors, as firmware, or as virtually any combination thereof,and designing the circuitry and/or writing the code for the softwareand/or firmware are possible in light of this disclosure. In addition,the mechanisms of the subject matter described herein are capable ofbeing distributed as a program product in a variety of forms, and thatan illustrative embodiment of the subject matter described hereinapplies regardless of the particular type of signal bearing medium usedto actually carry out the distribution. Examples of a signal bearingmedium include, but are not limited to, the following: a recordable typemedium such as a floppy disk, a hard disk drive (HDD), a compact disk(CD), a digital versatile disc (DVD), a digital tape, a computer memory,etc.; and a transmission type medium such as a digital and/or an analogcommunication medium, e.g., a fiber optic cable, a waveguide, a wiredcommunication link, a wireless communication link, etc.

Those skilled in the art will recognize that it is common within the artto describe devices and/or processes in the fashion set forth herein,and thereafter use engineering practices to integrate such describeddevices and/or processes into data processing systems. That is, at leasta portion of the devices and/or processes described herein can beintegrated into a data processing system via a reasonable amount ofexperimentation. A typical data processing system generally includes oneor more of a system unit housing, a video display device, a memory suchas volatile and non-volatile memory, processors such as microprocessorsand digital signal processors, computational entities such as operatingsystems, drivers, graphical user interfaces, and applications programs,one or more interaction devices, such as a touch pad or screen, and/orcontrol systems including feedback loops and control motors, e.g.,feedback for sensing location and/or velocity; control motors for movingand/or adjusting components and/or quantities. A typical data processingsystem may be implemented utilizing any suitable commercially availablecomponents, such as those typically found in datacomputing/communication and/or network computing/communication systems.

The herein described subject matter sometimes illustrates differentcomponents contained within, or connected with, different othercomponents. It is to be understood that such depicted architectures aremerely examples, and that in fact many other architectures can beimplemented which achieve the same functionality. In a conceptual sense,any arrangement of components to achieve the same functionality iseffectively “associated” such that the desired functionality isachieved. Hence, any two components herein combined to achieve aparticular functionality can be seen as “associated with” each othersuch that the desired functionality is achieved, irrespective ofarchitectures or intermedial components. Likewise, any two components soassociated can also be viewed as being “operably connected”, or“operably coupled”, to each other to achieve the desired functionality,and any two components capable of being so associated can also be viewedas being “operably couplable”, to each other to achieve the desiredfunctionality. Specific examples of operably couplable include but arenot limited to physically mateable and/or physically interactingcomponents and/or wirelessly interactable and/or wirelessly interactingcomponents and/or logically interacting and/or logically interactablecomponents.

Lastly, with respect to the use of substantially any plural and/orsingular terms herein, those having skill in the art can translate fromthe plural to the singular and/or from the singular to the plural as isappropriate to the context and/or application. The varioussingular/plural permutations may be expressly set forth herein for sakeof clarity.

It will be understood by those within the art that, in general, termsused herein, and especially in the appended claims, e.g., bodies of theappended claims, are generally intended as “open” terms, e.g., the term“including” should be interpreted as “including but not limited to,” theterm “having” should be interpreted as “having at least,” the term“includes” should be interpreted as “includes but is not limited to,”etc. It will be further understood by those within the art that if aspecific number of an introduced claim recitation is intended, such anintent will be explicitly recited in the claim, and in the absence ofsuch recitation no such intent is present. For example, as an aid tounderstanding, the following appended claims may contain usage of theintroductory phrases “at least one” and “one or more” to introduce claimrecitations. However, the use of such phrases should not be construed toimply that the introduction of a claim recitation by the indefinitearticles “a” or “an” limits any particular claim containing suchintroduced claim recitation to embodiments containing only one suchrecitation, even when the same claim includes the introductory phrases“one or more” or “at least one” and indefinite articles such as “a” or“an,” e.g., “a” and/or “an” should be interpreted to mean “at least one”or “one or more;” the same holds true for the use of definite articlesused to introduce claim recitations. In addition, even if a specificnumber of an introduced claim recitation is explicitly recited, thoseskilled in the art will recognize that such recitation should beinterpreted to mean at least the recited number, e.g., the barerecitation of “two recitations,” without other modifiers, means at leasttwo recitations, or two or more recitations. Furthermore, in thoseinstances where a convention analogous to “at least one of A, B, and C,etc.” is used, in general such a construction is intended in the senseone having skill in the art would understand the convention, e.g., “asystem having at least one of A, B, and C” would include but not belimited to systems that have A alone, B alone, C alone, A and Btogether, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A, B, and Ctogether, etc. In those instances, where a convention analogous to “atleast one of A, B, or C, etc.” is used, in general such a constructionis intended in the sense one having skill in the art would understandthe convention, e.g., “a system having at least one of A, B, or C” wouldinclude but not be limited to systems that have A alone, B alone, Calone, A and B together, A and C together, B and C together, and/or A,B, and C together, etc. It will be further understood by those withinthe art that virtually any disjunctive word and/or phrase presenting twoor more alternative terms, whether in the description, claims, ordrawings, should be understood to contemplate the possibilities ofincluding one of the terms, either of the terms, or both terms. Forexample, the phrase “A or B” will be understood to include thepossibilities of “A” or “B” or “A and B.”

From the foregoing, various embodiments of the present disclosure havebeen described herein for purposes of illustration, and variousmodifications may be made without departing from the scope and spirit ofthe present disclosure. Accordingly, the various embodiments disclosedherein are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spiritbeing indicated by the following claims.

We claim:
 1. A method, comprising: quantifying a magnitude of anobstruction between a target object and a spotter vehicle; determiningwhether the quantified magnitude of the obstruction is below a thresholdvalue, wherein the quantified magnitude of the obstruction ispermissible to detect the target object when the quantified magnitude ofthe obstruction is below the threshold value; in response to adetermination that the quantified magnitude of the obstruction is belowthe threshold value, detecting the target object within a particulardistance of the spotter vehicle, wherein the target object moves atleast at a threshold rate of speed greater than zero within theparticular distance of the spotter vehicle, and wherein the spottervehicle provides a verified detection of the target object; confirmingthe detection of the target object by notifying the detected targetobject; and transmitting a payoff of the confirmed detection of thetarget object, wherein the transmission of the payoff is to at least oneof the spotter vehicle and the detected target object.
 2. The method ofclaim 1, wherein detecting the target object comprises detecting thetarget object by a surveillance system associated with the spottervehicle, and wherein the surveillance system comprises a sonar detectorand a radar detector having 360° detection capabilities.
 3. The methodof claim 1, wherein detecting the target object comprises detecting thetarget object based on at least one attribute associated with the targetobject.
 4. The method of claim 3, wherein the at least one attributeassociated with the target object comprises at least one of a particularmake of the target object, a model of the target object, a color of thetarget object, and a direction of the target object.
 5. The method ofclaim 1, further comprising receiving, by the spotter vehicle from thedetected target object, a signal that confirms the detection of thetarget object.
 6. The method of claim 1, wherein the payoff comprises atleast one of an acknowledgement, a reward, a communication directed toat least one of the spotter vehicle and the detected target object,service provider reward points, an advertisement, a law enforcementcommunication, and driving assistance.
 7. A vehicle detection system,comprising: a detector configured to: quantify a magnitude of anobstruction between a target object and a spotter vehicle; determinewhether the quantified magnitude of the obstruction is below a thresholdvalue, wherein the quantified magnitude of the obstruction ispermissible to detect the target object when the quantified magnitude ofthe obstruction is below the threshold value; in response to adetermination that the quantified magnitude of the obstruction is belowthe threshold value, detect the target object within a particulardistance of the spotter vehicle, wherein the target object moves atleast at a threshold rate of speed greater than zero and within theparticular distance of the spotter vehicle, and wherein the spottervehicle provides verified detection of the target object; and acommunication interface operatively coupled to the detector, wherein thecommunication interface is configured to: confirm the detection of thetarget object by notification to the detected target object; andtransmit a payoff of the confirmed detection to at least one of thespotter vehicle and the target object.
 8. The vehicle detection systemof claim 7, wherein the detector is configured to detect the targetobject with a surveillance system associated with the spotter vehicle,and wherein the surveillance system comprises a sonar detector and aradar detector having 360° detection capabilities.
 9. The vehicledetection system of claim 7, wherein the detector is configured todetect the target object based on at least one attribute associated withthe target object.
 10. The vehicle detection system of claim 9, whereinthe at least one attribute associated with the target object comprisesat least one of a particular make of the target object, a model of thetarget object, a color of the target object, and a direction of thetarget object.
 11. The vehicle detection system of claim 7, wherein thedetector includes a camera mounted on or located in the spotter vehicle.12. The vehicle detection system of claim 7, wherein the detectorincludes a laser mounted on or located in the spotter vehicle.
 13. Thevehicle detection system of claim 7, wherein the communication interfaceis further configured to receive a signal, from the target object, thatconfirms the detection of the target object.
 14. The vehicle detectionsystem of claim 7, wherein the target object includes a target vehicle.15. A method for vehicle detection, the method comprising: receiving arequest, from a third party entity, to search for a target object,wherein the request comprises at least one attribute associated with thetarget object; in response to receiving the request, searching for thetarget object based on the at least one attribute associated with thetarget object; quantifying a magnitude of an obstruction between thesearched target object and a spotter vehicle; determining whether thequantified magnitude of the obstruction is below a threshold value,wherein the quantified magnitude of the obstruction is permissible todetect the target object when the quantified magnitude of theobstruction is below the threshold value; in response to a determinationthat the quantified magnitude of the obstruction is below the thresholdvalue, indicating that the target object is detected within a particulardistance of the spotter vehicle, wherein the target object is moving atleast at a threshold rate of speed greater than zero and within theparticular distance of the spotter vehicle, and wherein the spottervehicle provides a verified detection of the target object; andconfirming the detection of the target object by sending a confirmationsignal to the third party entity.
 16. The method of claim 15, furthercomprising detecting the target object using a surveillance systemassociated with the spotter vehicle, wherein the surveillance systemcomprises a sonar detector and a radar detector having 360° detectioncapabilities.
 17. The method of claim 15, wherein searching for thetarget object comprises operating a video camera to search for thetarget object in a line of sight between the target object and thespotter vehicle.
 18. The method of claim 15, further comprisingreceiving a signal, from the detected target object, that confirms thedetection of the target object.
 19. The method of claim 15, wherein theat least one attribute associated with the target object comprises atleast one of a particular make of the target object, a model of thetarget object, a color of the target object, and a direction of thetarget object.
 20. The method of claim 15, wherein the third-partyentity includes a service provider.
 21. A detection system, comprising:a detector controlled by an application hosted in or on a spottervehicle, and configured to: quantify a magnitude of an obstruction,wherein the magnitude of the obstruction approaches 0% if a line ofsight is clear between a target vehicle and both an alternative spotterand the spotter vehicle; determine whether the quantified magnitude ofthe obstruction is permissible to detect the target vehicle, wherein thequantified magnitude of the obstruction is permissible if below athreshold magnitude of obstruction; and detect based, at least in part,on the quantified magnitude of the obstruction being below the thresholdmagnitude of obstruction, the target vehicle, wherein the target vehiclehas at least one designated attribute, and wherein the spotter vehicleincludes a vehicle from which verified detection of the target vehicleis sought; and a first object controlled by the hosted application andconfigured to: confirm that the detected target vehicle is within aparticular distance of the spotter vehicle and moving at least at athreshold rate of speed greater than zero within the particular distanceof the spotter vehicle; and confirm detection of the detected targetvehicle by transmission of a confirmation signal to at least a thirdparty entity to provide notification of the detection.